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Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Please Don’t Let These Restaurants Close
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THE EXCELLENT BEERS AREN’T ALL WE’LL MISS IF 5 SEASONS BREWING SANDY SPRINGS CLOSES…
Photo: William Berry/ Staff
I received an email this week from Dennis Lange at Five Seasons Brewing, regarding the mess that is the Prado at the moment. Here are highlights:
“To the untrained eye, driving on Roswell Road this morning it would appear that 5 Seasons is no more because access has been dramatically altered. In reality, and in the Prado, getting to the 5 is now more difficult than ever… The entrance you have been relying on for most of the last eight years will be closed for the next two weeks (according to reliable construction sources, but…). The temporary entrance will be at the top of the new Prado shopping center at the Target entrance, where you will then immediately turn right and enter the parking deck and circle down to level P2 (that’s Parking Level 2 for those of you who’ve had one too many frothy ones)… We really need your support right now. It’s been tough and the construction has not encouraged people to frequent the 5 but we need your help and support to get through this. Don’t let a little construction activity dissuade your choice to dine and drink at the 5. Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope!”
Long-lasting construction sites across the city and a bad economy are making it very difficult for some restaurants to survive — they need your help and support. 5 Seasons in the Prado would be a great loss if it closed. So would Joli Kobe, in the same location (they will be opening a second location on Peachtree Street, hopefully by September, in the old Midcity Cuisine space).
Here are five spots I would hate to see close simply because we couldn’t - or wouldn’t - get to them:
5 Seasons Brewing — the house-brewed beers and fresh take on farm-to-table make this spot the city can’t afford to lose.
Joli Kobe — another great loss if it were to close. The bistro chicken salad coupled with the pristine offerings from this elegant bakery would be sorely missed.
Thrive — this downtown eatery is one of a kind, and one of the only spots near Philips Arena that’s worth eating at — good, solid sushi selections coupled with modern bistro fare. Unfortunately, the tornado took at whack at Centennial Tower, the building that houses Thrive, and the restaurant’s windows and entrance are mired in tarps from the scaffolding. Owner A.D. Alushi told me that he’s lost almost 50 percent of his business becasue people think he’s closed. He’s not.
FAB — though it’s not the same busy bistro it was when it was at Lenox, FAB is still fabulous — the skate wings just as crisped and capered’ the profiteroles a delight of pistachio ice cream and chocolate sauce.
Repast — what a gem, and chef owner Joe Truex is offering nightly specials to entice you to find out for yourself. This sweet spot is one of the city’s finest.
And sadly, it appears we’ve already lost one our funkiest, fun neighborhood spots: Kool Korners, the little grocery that for years has produced the city’s best Cuban sandwiches, has apparently closed. Drive bys and phone calls to the restaurant are coming up with nada.
What restaurants would you add to the list? What restaurant could you not live without?
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